PUBLIC, NO. 366, SEVENTIETH CONGRESS (H.R. 5465)

AN ACT To amend section 1571 of the Revised Statutes to permit officers of the Navy to count duty on airships as sea duty

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 1571, Revised Statutes, is hereby amended by changing the period at the end of said section to a colon and by adding thereto the following: "Provided, That when officers are assigned to airships on duty requiring them to participate regularly and frequently in aerial flights the Secretary of the Navy shall determine and certify whether or not, in his judgment, the service to be performed is equivalent to sea duty. If such service is thus determined to be equivalent to sea duty, it shall be considered to be actual sea service on sea-going ships for all purposes.'

Approved, May 11, 1928.

Colonel BRECKINRIDGE. Do you know whether or not the Secretary of the Navy under that authorization ever did find that service in airships was the equivalent of service on surface ships?

Admiral KING. I am not informed whether a case of that kind has ever been brought up to him.

Colonel BRECKINRIDGE. You don't know?

Senator DUFFY. At least, Admiral, you have never heard of any? Admiral KING. That might well be, because I have only been in Washington about a month. My previous duty in Washington was before this act was passed.

Commander ROSENDAHL. The equivalent of airship duty was certified by the Secretary both in the case of the Los Angeles subsequent to the passage of that act and also the Akron.

Admiral KING. As to the status of officers who specialize in aviation there is also an act of Congress which covers that point.

PUBLIC, No. 422, SIXTY-NINTH CONGRESS (H.R. 9690)

AN ACT To authorize the construction and procurement of aircraft and aircraft equipment in the Navy and Marine Corps, and to adjust and define the status of the operating personnel in connection therewith

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, for the purpose of further developing and further increasing aeronautics in the Navy, the President of the United States is hereby authorized to undertake the construction and procurement of aircraft, spare parts, and equipment for the Navy as enumerated below:

SEC. 3. Personnel.

PAR. 5. Line officers detailed to command of aircraft carriers or aircraft tenders shall be naval aviators or naval aviation observers who are otherwise qualified.

PAR. 6. That any officer of the Navy, line or staff, of the permanent rank or grade of commander or lieutenant commander, at the time of the passage of this act who has specialized in aviation for such a period of time as to jeopardize his selection for promotion or advancement to the next higher grade or rank under existing provisions of law and whose service in aviation has been in the public interest shall be so notified by the Secretary of the Navy and at his own request be designated as an officer who will be carried as an additional number in the next higher grade or rank not above the grade of captain if and when promoted or advanced thereto: Provided, That selection boards in cases of such officers shall confine their consideration to the fitness alone of such officers for promotion, not to the comparative fitness of such officers.

Approved, June 24, 1926.

The system followed in training commanding officers of rigid airships includes:

(a) Completion of the prescribed course of instruction and qualification as naval aviator (airship). This course requires about 1 year and at least 200 hours aboard a rigid airship.

(b) Acquirement of additional experience aboard rigid airships in preparation for assuming command.

Selection of an officer to command a rigid airship is based upon a number of factors including, besides demonstrated flying ability, such matters as ability to organize, lead, and handle officers and men, tactical knowledge, broad naval experience. Naturally, some officers will prove to be better commanding officers than others.

Referring specifically to individual cases, the Navy's rigid airships have had the following series of commanding officers who assumed command, with experience as indicated:

U.S.S. "SHENANDOAH"

Comdr. F. R. McCrary assumed command in 1923 with only nominal experience in large airships.

Comdr. Z. Lansdowne assumed command in 1924 after having about 700 hours rigid airship experience, part of this being acquired in England.

U.S.S. "LOS ANGELES"

Comdr. J. H. Klein, Jr., assumed command in November 1924, with about 300 hours' experience.

Capt. G. W. Steele assumed command in April 1925, with about 400 hours' experience.

Lt. Comdr. C. E. Rosendahl assumed command in June 1926, with about 1,000 hours' experience, including service as navigator of Shenandoah and 3 months as executive of the Los Angeles under Captain Steele. He kept command about 3 years and flew successfully about 1,000 hours.

Lt. Comdr. H. V. Wiley assumed command in April 1929, with about 2,000 hours' experience, including 3 years service as executive of the Los Angeles. He kept command 1 year and flew successfully

about 600 hours.

Lt. Comdr. V. A. Clarke qualified as naval aviator (airship) 1927, and assumed command in April 1930, with about 800 hours' experience, including 1 year as understudy to Wiley. He kept command 1 year and flew successfully about 900 hours.

Comdr. A. H. Dresel assumed command in June 1931, with about 700 hours' experience, including several months as understudy to Clarke. He kept command 1 year and flew successfully about 600 hours.

Comdr. F. T. Berry assumed command in March 1932, with about 800 hours' experience, including several months as understudy to Dresel. He kept command 3 months until the Los Angeles was laid up. He flew successfully about 300 hours.

U.S.S. "AKRON"

Lieutenant Commander Rosendahl was ordered to command in June 1931, with about 3,500 hours' experience. He kept command 1 year (9 months' flying) and flew successfully about 800 hours.

Comdr. A. H. Dresel assumed command in July 1932, with about 1,800 hours' experience, including 1 year in command of Los Angeles and 3 months understudy on Akron. He kept command 6 months and flew successfully about 300 hours. He was then assigned to U.S.S. Macon.

Comdr. F. C. McCord qualified as naval aviator (airship) 1927, spent 2 years at sea as navigator of Saratoga, returned to Lakehurst, 1930, and assumed command of Akron, January 1933, with about 1,800 hours' experience, including about 1 year as executive of the Los Angeles and 6 months understudy on Akron. He kept command 3 months and flew successfully 430 hours.

Representative HARTER. That service on the Saratoga would be

counted?

Admiral KING. No, sir.

Representative HARTER. That is all air service on a lighter-thanair ship?

Admiral KING. I so understand it. While he was on the Saratoga would not have amounted to more than about a hundred hours all told, if he flew any heavier-than-air craft in order to maintain his lighter-than-air qualifications, which is possible.

Representative HARTER. I believe your statement contained the language that he had some 1,800 hours' of experience when he went to command the Akron.

Admiral KING. Yes, sir.

Representative HARTER. Can you allocate that to different ships and give us that information as to making up that number of hours? Admiral KING. I will have to obtain his flying log in order to do that. But I feel positive that you will find that at least 1,700 hours of that was lighter-than-air experience.

Representative HARTER. If it would not be too much trouble, Admiral, would you furnish us with that?

Admiral KING. I will bear that in mind. (The data requested is as follows:)

Summary of flight log of Commander McCord

Nonrigid, lighter-than-aircraft

U.S.S. Los Angeles, under instruction.

U.S.S. Los Angeles, executive officer

Total, U.S.S. Los Angeles

U.S.S. Akron, under instruction.

U.S.S. Akron, commanding.......

Total, U.S.S. Akron___

Total time rigid airships__

Total time lighter-than-air

Total time heavier-than-air craft....

Grand total _ _ __

Hours

400

600

580

1, 180

500

420

920

2, 100

2,500 350

2, 850

Colonel BRECKINRIDGE. Apropos of this memorandum, Admiral, did Commander McCord have as many flying hours before he was assigned to the command of the Akron as other commanders had when they were assigned to the command of airships? As I read your list, he had as many or more flying hours as any other officer except Commander Wiley.

Admiral KING. When he was actually assigned to the command Lieutenant Commander Wiley had about 2,000 hours' experience as compared with Commander McCord's 1,800. The others varied from 300 hours up. Commander Dressel also had about 1,800 hours' experience when assigned to command.

Senator KEAN. Then Commander Wiley had more hours flying experience than did McCord?

Admiral KING. Yes, sir.

Senator KEAN. Who selects the commanders?

Admiral KING. I understand this selection was made by Admiral Moffett and Admiral Upham.

Senator KEAN. Unfortunately, we cannot have Admiral Moffett testify, because he is gone. But they were the two?

Admiral KING. Yes, sir.

Representative DELANEY. Of course, the committee must know that Admiral King has just taken over this branch of the service, and it may be that he is not able to supply all of the data that might be requested or might be expected.

Senator KEAN. Admiral, do you know the reasons for assigning Commander McCord to this command?

Admiral KING. It is my understanding that they considered at least three people, to whom Commander McCord was by several years the senior.

Senator KEAN. Whom did they consider?

Admiral KING. Of that I am not informed. And I am now giving you hearsay, gentlemen. I do not pretend that it is anything else. But I believe that Lieutenant Commander Wiley was considered, and one other officer whose name I do not recall. I do seem to recall that Lieutenant Commander Wiley's name was mentioned.

Senator KEAN. But you do not know who the other one was? Admiral KING. I am sorry I cannot recall who the third one was. Senator KEAN. But Admiral Moffett would know that; and he could give the reasons for assigning Commander McCord.

Admiral KING. I think the reasons are more or less apparent. He was a grade senior and some years older. He had then had about 1,800 hours in the air and was connected with the lighter than air for a considerable period of years, and there was no reason to believe in any way that he was not entirely competent. And things in the Navy, at least, go in large measure by seniority. There is no reason for doubting his competency in any degree. To have him available and then put a junior officer in command is just foreign to the whole scheme of military control.

Senator KEAN. The only trouble is that I think he did not prove that he was quite up to the job.

Admiral KING. Unfortunately, Senator, we are not fully informed as to just what the conditions were that he did encounter, and what he had to deal with, because not even the survivors are entirely clear. Nor can we expect them to be clear in the series of events that happened so rapidly and so disastrously.

Senator KEAN. But we do know that if he had followed what Commander Wiley said he advised him that he would have avoided the storm.

Admiral KING. I am not sufficiently informed about what the actual weather conditions were to the north and northwest to be sure

that that is the case. That is just speaking for myself.

Senator KEAN. I do not know whether you were here, but you have heard testimony that before a thunderstorm-and it does not make any difference what kind of a thunderstorm it is-there is al

ways an up-wind if you are going west; you always strike an up-wind first.

Admiral KING. I do not know that I heard that. But, if I may, I would accept it.

Senator KEAN. The up-wind is always a great deal stronger than the down-wind.

Admiral KING. I would not expect that exactly, Senator, because I have been taught that to every action there is an equally opposite reaction, and if there is an up-draft of a certain strength somewhere there must be the equivalent of that.

Senator KEAN. You are quite right on that. But the only trouble with it is that the down-draft is more spread out than the up-draft. Therefore, the up-draft is more violent than the down-draft.

Therefore, if you are going west and are caught in the up-draft, that will carry you up to safety.

Representative DELANEY. Mr. Chairman, may I be permitted to go over to the House to vote?

The CHAIRMAN. You do not ask the committee to suspend, do you? Representative DELANEY. No, sir.

Senator KEAN. I do not expect an answer to that. However, I would like to have you state the functions of your bureau, and how much control you have over assigning anybody to airplanes or to lighter-than-air craft, or where they shall go or what they shall do. Just state what your Bureau embraces. Will you please state that, Admiral?

Admiral KING. Under the law that created the Bureau of Aeronautics we are to deal with aeronautical matters as prescribed by the Secretary of the Navy. In practice, we have complete control over the procurement and maintenance of aircraft in accordance with policy as to general types laid down by the Secretary, who is acting under the advice of the General Board and Chief of Naval Operations.

As to operations of aircraft, the Bureau of Aeronautics is consulted by the office of the Chief of Naval Operations, and the opinion of the Bureau has great weight. But it does not have the final say so in any matter. That rests with the Chief of Naval Operations.

As to personnel, we work in close cooperation and coordination with the Bureau of Navigation, which is the personnel bureau; and we follow the general policies which the Bureau of Navigation lays down to control all personnel in the Navy. Frequently there is an exception, for reasons which seem good and sufficient to us, in which case they are presented to Navigation, and if the reasons are sound they agree to what we propose.

Senator KEAN. But the Bureau of Navigation has the final say? Admiral KING. It has. It is the personnel bureau of the Navy Department and controls all personnel of the Navy, that is, in the service.

Senator KEAN. And does the Chief of Naval Operations decide for the Navy how many aeroplanes you want of different types, or do you decide that?

Admiral KING. We decide it together.

Senator KEAN. In consultation with him, you decide that?
Admiral KING. Yes, sir.

Senator KEAN. And as to lighter-than-air craft, you and he would decide whether it was necessary for the Navy to have additional ships?